Arboreal camera trapping reveals diel-vertical migrations in arboreal wildlife of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest
Tropical forests harbor much of Earth’s biodiversity, with the ground to emergent canopy forming dynamic three-dimensional habitats. Arboreal and semi-arboreal species navigate the vertically heterogeneous environment, in temperature, light, predation risk, and resource availability, responding to f...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Ecology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-664X/adb850 |
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| author | Arata Honda Chris Beirne Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya Flor Perez Mullisaca Caleb Quispe Quispe Rosio Vega Quispe Eleanor Flatt Andrew Whitworth |
| author_facet | Arata Honda Chris Beirne Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya Flor Perez Mullisaca Caleb Quispe Quispe Rosio Vega Quispe Eleanor Flatt Andrew Whitworth |
| author_sort | Arata Honda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tropical forests harbor much of Earth’s biodiversity, with the ground to emergent canopy forming dynamic three-dimensional habitats. Arboreal and semi-arboreal species navigate the vertically heterogeneous environment, in temperature, light, predation risk, and resource availability, responding to further diel, lunar, and seasonal changes. While diel vertical migrations are well studied in aquatic systems, similar patterns in arboreal mammals and birds remain unclear. The roles of unique species vertical shifts in time in structuring tropical forest assemblages, the interaction of vertical stratification and temporal niche partitioning, is poorly understood. We investigate diel vertical behaviors in 31 species of arboreal mammals and birds in the Madre de Dios region of Peru using ground and canopy camera trapping surveys. We assess diel-vertical overlaps among sympatric species and examine relationships between dietary traits and vertical preference and selectivity. Our results reveal many unique patterns of vertical shifts, with many Primates and couple of Cracids descending from crepuscular canopy activity to lower strata at midday, while Tamandua tetradactyla descends from sunrise to sunset and Choloepus hoffmanni from before to after midnight. Lagothrix lagothricha and Pithecia spp. displayed peaks in upper canopy activity at midday, possibly due to ecological release from other primates. We find high diel-vertical overlap between sympatric species pairs, suggesting niche partitioning may involve finer-scale spatial and temporal adjustments rather than strict vertical segregation. We also find patterns of lunar cycle-related shifts in vertical activity for Tamandua tertradactyla, Choloepus hoffmanii and Aotus nigriceps . Diet-related patterns in mammals indicate carnivores favor lower heights, frugivores prefer higher strata, and invertivores are more vertically variable. These findings challenge static views of vertical stratification, emphasizing the need for a framework integrating temporal and spatial variability in the vertical environment and its many biotic agents. Better understanding these vertical dynamics may be valuable for predicting arboreal species and community responses in their warming, fragmenting and increasingly peri-urban habitats. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6c9fbca59f9c4e4e89ab4a490997d11c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2752-664X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Ecology |
| spelling | doaj-art-6c9fbca59f9c4e4e89ab4a490997d11c2025-08-20T02:57:02ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Ecology2752-664X2025-01-014202500310.1088/2752-664X/adb850Arboreal camera trapping reveals diel-vertical migrations in arboreal wildlife of the Peruvian Amazon rainforestArata Honda0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7881-4413Chris Beirne1Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya2Flor Perez Mullisaca3Caleb Quispe Quispe4Rosio Vega Quispe5Eleanor Flatt6Andrew Whitworth7Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University , New Haven, CT, United States of AmericaOsa Conservation , Puerto Jimenez, Puntarenas, Costa RicaConservación Amazónica , Lima, PeruOsa Conservation , Puerto Jimenez, Puntarenas, Costa RicaOsa Conservation , Puerto Jimenez, Puntarenas, Costa RicaOsa Conservation , Puerto Jimenez, Puntarenas, Costa RicaOsa Conservation , Puerto Jimenez, Puntarenas, Costa RicaOsa Conservation , Puerto Jimenez, Puntarenas, Costa RicaTropical forests harbor much of Earth’s biodiversity, with the ground to emergent canopy forming dynamic three-dimensional habitats. Arboreal and semi-arboreal species navigate the vertically heterogeneous environment, in temperature, light, predation risk, and resource availability, responding to further diel, lunar, and seasonal changes. While diel vertical migrations are well studied in aquatic systems, similar patterns in arboreal mammals and birds remain unclear. The roles of unique species vertical shifts in time in structuring tropical forest assemblages, the interaction of vertical stratification and temporal niche partitioning, is poorly understood. We investigate diel vertical behaviors in 31 species of arboreal mammals and birds in the Madre de Dios region of Peru using ground and canopy camera trapping surveys. We assess diel-vertical overlaps among sympatric species and examine relationships between dietary traits and vertical preference and selectivity. Our results reveal many unique patterns of vertical shifts, with many Primates and couple of Cracids descending from crepuscular canopy activity to lower strata at midday, while Tamandua tetradactyla descends from sunrise to sunset and Choloepus hoffmanni from before to after midnight. Lagothrix lagothricha and Pithecia spp. displayed peaks in upper canopy activity at midday, possibly due to ecological release from other primates. We find high diel-vertical overlap between sympatric species pairs, suggesting niche partitioning may involve finer-scale spatial and temporal adjustments rather than strict vertical segregation. We also find patterns of lunar cycle-related shifts in vertical activity for Tamandua tertradactyla, Choloepus hoffmanii and Aotus nigriceps . Diet-related patterns in mammals indicate carnivores favor lower heights, frugivores prefer higher strata, and invertivores are more vertically variable. These findings challenge static views of vertical stratification, emphasizing the need for a framework integrating temporal and spatial variability in the vertical environment and its many biotic agents. Better understanding these vertical dynamics may be valuable for predicting arboreal species and community responses in their warming, fragmenting and increasingly peri-urban habitats.https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-664X/adb850camera trapcanopy3Darborealverticaldiel activity |
| spellingShingle | Arata Honda Chris Beirne Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya Flor Perez Mullisaca Caleb Quispe Quispe Rosio Vega Quispe Eleanor Flatt Andrew Whitworth Arboreal camera trapping reveals diel-vertical migrations in arboreal wildlife of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest Environmental Research: Ecology camera trap canopy 3D arboreal vertical diel activity |
| title | Arboreal camera trapping reveals diel-vertical migrations in arboreal wildlife of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest |
| title_full | Arboreal camera trapping reveals diel-vertical migrations in arboreal wildlife of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest |
| title_fullStr | Arboreal camera trapping reveals diel-vertical migrations in arboreal wildlife of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Arboreal camera trapping reveals diel-vertical migrations in arboreal wildlife of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest |
| title_short | Arboreal camera trapping reveals diel-vertical migrations in arboreal wildlife of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest |
| title_sort | arboreal camera trapping reveals diel vertical migrations in arboreal wildlife of the peruvian amazon rainforest |
| topic | camera trap canopy 3D arboreal vertical diel activity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-664X/adb850 |
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